Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:04 pm Post subject: Prologue: Vic and Cleo
San Francisco, CA
April 14, 1998
Gallery One
1 Embarcadero Center
Lobby level, Suite 1EC
"Invitation, Sir?"
"Hmm?" says a tall man, looking up at the rising moon. He is somewhere in the neighborhood of 6'3' and looks to be somewhere between 160 and 180 lbs. His hair is a dark brown, but short in a neat clipper cut. His black tux is silk, obviously tailored to his size. He turns his piercing brown eyes to look at the doorman.
"Your invitation sir. You are holding up the line," says a well dressed man of Indian descent.
Looking back behind him, the man seems genuinely surprised to see the long line queued behind him even though he has been standing in said line for 20 minutes now.
"Oh, what do you know. My apologies, never could get the hang of lines," says the large man with a friendly, almost boyish, smile. Pulling his invitation out of pocket on the inside of his jacket, he waits patiently for the doorman to take it.
"Very good, sir," says the doorman, too happy to get the line moving to care about the odd things that the large man has to say.
"Okay, here we are. Have a good evening, Mr. Knightly," says the doorman after checking off a name on a sheet of paper on a small podium.
With a nod, the large man proceeds into the art gallery through the double glass doors, which kindly whoosh open electronically when he is close enough. Knightly is immediately greeted by three things: loud talking, a mix of sweat and expensive toiletries, and the sound of a live jazz band playing off to the side.
'More like a party, than an art show,' thinks Vic to himself.
A small sigh escapes the exquisite lips of a beautiful young blonde woman at the ignorantly posed question. She knows that the speaker isn't asking her. At 5'5" with a trim build and long blonde hair framing her grogeous face before falling to the level of her breats combined with a low-cut, near-backless black dress held in place with thin shoulder straps, Cleo is used to not being taken seriously at these functions, even when her work is among the art on display.
She turns her attention away from 'that thing' to the slightly clueless woman asking the question.
Sure enough, the clueless woman; likely in her late forties by the look of her and wearing a tan business suit and matching knee-length skirt, was asking her equally clueless companion; a stick-thin man with thinning hair and designer spectacles.
"Excuse me sir, ma'am" Cleo says politely, doing her best not to let herself be bothered by their ignorance.
"Perhaps I might answer the lady's question?"
Though quick to cover their astonishment, the couple aren't quite quick enough.
The man splutters for a moment to try to hide the fact that he is lost for words then seems to remember his manners.
"Yes, miss. That would be most helpful, and if I may say how lovely you look tonight"
"Thank you sir" Cleo replies with a slight nod, betraying no hint that she has seen through the attempt to deflect her attention from his initial negative reaction.
She then proceeds to explain the 'confusing' artwork.
"This piece is a depiction of a golden scarab beetle; a common decoration in Ancient Egyptian architecture and art. You can see this symbol here on the head of the beetle? That represents Anubis; the God of the Underworld. Though commonly misinterpreted as a feared God of Death, he was in fact seen as a Guardian. Among his tasks were ensuring that the souls of the deceased reached their final destination. He was also charged with making sure that no-one returned from the Lands of the Dead to harm the living"
Seeing the badly disguised looks of shock on the couple's faces is no real surprise. It happens so often that she can't be bothered to be offended any more.
"Oh, don't worry. I get that look all the time. I'm Miss Cleopatra Parks and I painted this so now that I've explained a bit about it, perhaps you would be so kind as to tell me what you think"
As always in this situation, she was careful not to raise her voice or give any reason for the couple to look down on her.
Turning his head to the left, Victor spots the host of this extravagant event. Of course, when Erica Clay is involved even a wake becomes an extravagant event. While not tall by anyone's measure, Erica's long legs were no doubt her best feature and perfectly highlighted by her very short, red dress. Her long, strawberry blond hair was up in a bob tonight, complementing her round cheeks and deep blue eyes.
Genuinely pleased to see his long time friend (the short red dress doesn't hurt either), Vic's face lights up into a friendly smile as he takes her hand in his and says, "A lovely shindig tonight. And here I thought I was going to an art show. Should have known when your invitation specifically said to dress nicely for once."
With that, he kisses her hand without taking his eyes from hers.
"Oh, you are too kind. Just a little something I threw together at the last minute," purrs Erica, full of false modesty.
"Your too modest, Erica. Its truly lovely," says Victor, inwardly rolling his eyes at it all.
"So where's this artist you were telling me about? She sounds very intriguing."
"Always straight to business. I like that about you, Victor. I'll be happy to introduce you to her. Come this way," says Erica, sliding her arm over Vic's and leading him towards her potential gold mine. Vic can almost hear the little dollar signs bouncing around in her head.
Led across the room to the scene of a confrontation, Vic stops and indicates for Erica to remain silent while he observes the passionate woman defend her art.
"Well it's uh... it's very uh... very nice" the bespectacled man stammers foolishly, fumbling for words that would make him seem less ignorant in these matters.
"A fascinating interpretation of the period. Uh, would you excuse us?"
"Of course sir, ma'am" Cleo replies impeccably, keeping her distaste hidden from all but the most perceptive of individuals.
"I'm sure the other artists would be just as delighted to discuss their own pieces"
As soon as they are out of earshot, Cleo breathes a sigh of relief and turns her attention to her current benefactor; Erica Clay, and the absolutely gorgeous man accompanying her.
"Erica, hi" she exclaims, this time showing genuine happiness as she favours her benefactor with a warm smile and a traditional double cheek kiss greeting.
"How did I do with them? I tried to keep calm and strictly professional. I don't think they noticed that I wanted to break that man's glasses in half and feed them half each. Do these people not read the catalogues or brochures any more?"
After another breath, she blushes slightly and changes the subject.
"And who is your wonderful companion?" she enquires in a tone that suggests she is interested in more than just his name.
There is something about him that she finds herself drawn to. A presence or something.
Cleo's smile brightens both at the praise from Erica and the utterly captivating smile that Victor gives her.
Her own heart flutters slightly as she takes his hand and looks into his enchanting grey eyes.
'Oh I can think of so many things I want to call you' she thinks, barely aware that he didn't actually finish his sentence.
She finds herself far more interested in his lips themselves than any sound that might be coming out. Almost without noticing, and still holding his gaze, she licks her lips in a suggestive manner.
The rest of the room is almost completely forgotten for the moment. All Cleo wants to think about is the man before her, what they will do to each other, and on some level, what she will be inspired to create afterwards...
As the seconds tick by, an uncomfortable Erica looks back and forth between the two, her growing frustration at being ignored rooting a small frown to her face. Shaking Vic, she huffily says, "What's wrong with you? Stop staring at the girl and introduce yourself already!"
The moment broken, Vic comes to his senses, blinking a few times as if woken from a dream.
“What was that just now? Feels like I almost got caught in a gaze,” thinks Vic to himself. Out loud he says, “Sorry, seem to have lost my train of thought. I'm Vic, by the way. Its a pleasure to meet you.”
Cleo's cheeks flush crimson and for a moment she feels like a kid with her hand caught in the cookie jar.
With the spell broken at least for now, she takes Vic's outstretched hand and smiles warmly while trying to reconnect her brain to her mouth so that she can actually say something and not look like a silly, starstruck blonde.
"It's uh, nice to meet you, Vic" she murmers, her voice betraying a hint of nervous uncertainty.
Finally her brain catches up with her, allowing for more conversation.
"So how long have you two known each other?" she asks, directing her question to Erica and Vic now that she knows Erica doesn't want to feel left out here.
Smiling at Cleo's blush, Vic says, "About eight years now, when Erica became the art director of this studio. I came with the drapes."
Erica good naturedly laughs at Vic's joke,"Vic, such the joker. Though he has done business with this studio since before I got the job. He purchases many paintings from around the city for sale to buyers all over the world. He's the best kept secret of our cities art community."
Cleo can't help but get caught up in Vic's infectious smile. She smiles warmly in response, and lets out a little giggle at his joke.
"The best kept secret, eh?" she asks breezily, "I feel a little better then. I thought the only reason I'd never met you is because I was so new to the local scene but if I'm in on a big secret"
She pauses and winks at Vic.
"That makes me feel special"
"Uh, even more special than Erica sponsoring me already made me" she adds hastily.
Though she is very much enamoured with Vic, Cleo doesn't want Erica to think she is ungrateful.
"Of course dear," says Erica with her usual false modesty, "But look at me, chattering away here while my other guests are neglected. Why don't you show Victor your work while I am away?"
Turning to Vic, she smiles, "You're in for a real treat. Little Cleo here is destined for great things."
"Of that I have no doubt, Erica," says Vic with a little bow, watching Erica as she walks away and starts haranguing the servers for not doing their jobs the "proper way."
"You know, I thought she would never leave. Its like being stuck with your chaperon while your trying to enjoy the ball," says Vic, rolling his eyes at Erica's antics before turning back to Cleo with a little half-smile.
Cleo's heart flutters at the thought of being all alone with this intriguing and incredibly gorgeous man.
"I'll make sure he's well looked after" she says to Erica as she is leaving then turns her full attention to Vic.
Once again she finds his smile infectious.
"I was too polite to say anything" she remarks gently, before offering Vic her hand as though she was accepting an invitation to dance.
"If you will follow me, kind sir, I will be happy to give you your treat"
The slight emphasis she puts on the word treat makes it obvious that she means more than just art.
Cleo stifles a giggle at Vic's words and leads him to her first painting; the golden scarab with the symbol of Anubis on its carapace.
"How much do you know about Egyptian mytholgy?" she enquires sweetly.
Unlike with the clueless couple, this time her sweetness is genuine.
She honestly cares what Vic thinks, but doesn't want to risk boring him with a mythology lesson if it would be unnecessary or unwanted.
"It is the common thread to all of my works that are on show here so knowing about it can only help with the appreciation of them"
"I'm familiar mostly with their creation myths though I'm always up for a good story," says Vic with a nod, sincerely interested in what Cleo has to say.
With a wink, he adds, "Tell away, I'm not going anywhere."
Smiling, Cleo draws Vic's attention back to her first painting.
She gestures towards the canvas and begins to explain.
"Now I'm sure you know about Anubis being the Guardian of the Underworld, but he is also the god who first brought the Egyptians the art of mummification. An interesting fact that I found out fairly recently is that when a person was mummified, and all their organs except their heart were removed, a scarab beetle was placed over the heart to ensure that no secrets would leak out before the person was judged and their place in the next life determined. I decided to combine the two protective images surrounding death. Anubis as the Guardian of the Underworld itself, and the scarab as the guardian of the heart's secrets"
Once she finishes speaking, her cheeks flush slightly as she looks into Vic's enchanting face, eager to see his reaction...
Stepping forward to examine the painting, Vic says, "Ah, I didn't know that. Very interesting. That explains the sense of calm that pervades the aura of the painting. Why fear, when your protector is near?"
Stepping back after his inspection, he turns his head and smiles as he asks, "So why the scarab beetle? Your brush strokes imply a sense of care, very even and exact. It would appear to hold great meaning for you. If you don't mind me asking, whats the story behind that?"
For a moment, Cleo isn't sure what to say. She really doesn't want to delve into her phobias or the reason behind them in public. Though she finds Vic to be incredibly charming, she isn't ready to open up to him yet in that way.
Her cheeks flush crimson for a moment, before she blinks and shakes her head slightly to clear it.
"I guess the reason for most of this is my mom" she says carefully, "She has a total obsession with Ancient Egypt, which is how I got this name. I'm just following in her footsteps, only she was more about reading about the myths and culture than interpreting them through art"
As she speaks, she watches Vic's face to try to gauge his reaction. Hopefully he won't protest too much when she suggests they move on to her next work.
Cleo nods slightly as she notices the far off look in Vic's eye.
Though curious about who this loved one of his might be and why thinking of them might make his attention drift away, she knows better than to pry into his life in public. Any questions she has for him can wait until a more... personal setting.
"Would you like to see the other paintings that I contributed to this event?" she asks gently, both to regain his attention and to seek his opinion.
Something about Vic just makes her want his approval...
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